A

1. By Emma Thompson, P10513061
WHAT IS SOCIAL GAMING? THE
CONCLUSION

2. After researching the social
aspects of games for several
weeks I have drawn some
conclusions.

3. Games on social network
sites are not the only kind
of social game
At the beginning of my research I found an article on
gamesbrief.com with interviews from various game developers who
were asked to describe what they thought a Social Game was. Most
of these developers defined a Social game to be a game on a Social
Network. I feel this is incorrect, whilst these type of games are
social in some way, to me they fit under the “Games 2.0” category
of games which have come about through Web 2.0 because of it’s
social characteristics. From my research I have found they are not
the only type of Social Game in existence and the term “Social
Game” is much broader term than many of these developers define
it as.

4. All Games have a Social
component
Even the early arcade games were social in some way, these
were usually enjoyed in person with groups of friends at
arcades. As the internet and Wi-Fi capabilities became more
accessible to households a different kind of socialness came
about, one which involved players from completely different
continents connecting with each other and sharing the same
experience. The internet has allowed a rise in both Computer
based online multiplayer games like MMORPG’s and
connectedness with home computer games consoles such as
Xbox live and the Playstation network. Games are social as
long as they are connected to a network.

5. Online Multiplayer gaming is
so popular because people
enjoy the feeling of
participating
collaboratively and being
part of a community with
similar interests.

6. So What is Social Gaming?
My definition of a Social Game is any game which allows
players to connect with each other and participate in
some way. These games can be on any platform like a
home games console or on a social networking website
like Facebook. In order for players to connect to each
other they must be connected to some kind of network.

7. All games are Social in some
way. Games have become more
social since the early
2000’s with the rise of Web
2.0 combined with an advance
in technology such as
broadband and Wi-Fi becoming
readily available.